Sleeping
by beautifulgeek11
Summary: When you are sleeping with a broken heart, waking up has to be the hardest part. SasuIno, implied ShikaIno.


**Sleeping**

**Summary:** When you are sleeping with a broken heart, waking up has to be the hardest part.

* * *

"Troublesome woman," he muttered, a little annoyed. "Wake up."

She clutched her pillow and groaned half-sleepily. "…5 minutes more."

"Troublesome but the old hag needs you to do something for her," he looked at her sleeping face – Yamanaka Ino's beauty is truly undeniable. "Wake up already."

"Tell her… I'm tired," Ino opened one of her eyes to look at the dark-haired pineapple boy standing next to her bed, then she closed her eye again and whispered, "I don't like… getting up."

Yamanaka Ino was a morning person. Keyword: was. But everything changed since 5 years ago. It is as if she never likes getting up early anymore.

"Why…" Ino heard her best friend asked her. Her eyes were close but her best friend knew darn well that she's awake. "Why did you change?"

But asking her this question is never part of their daily routine. He just wants to know why. After all, he's the one who deals with her the most.

He repeated his question and said it louder, "Why did you change?!"

Nara Shikamaru hates change. Sure, he understands that everyone changes, but he knows that change is optional. Change is either for better and for worse. Unfortunately, his best friend changed for worse.

"Why should not I?" she opened her eyes and turned her back on him.

"5 years ago," he paused. "You were the person who would wake us up early in the morning – what happened?"

She didn't say anything.

"Answer me! Damn it!"

"I'm hurt," said Ino – the tears wanted to fall down from her eyes. "That's all."

Even a genius like him cannot comprehend with her answer. What is the connection?

"I don't get you," he admitted. "Clarify your answer."

"I answered your question," she pointed out. "It's your job to clarify that for yourself. Tell Tsunade-sama that I will be late but I'm gonna be there."

_Maybe the answer is connected something happened in the past – maybe something happened five years ago,_ Shikamaru studied in his head.

* * *

Shikamaru walked in the Hokage's office. He already figured out what will be his alibi to cover up for his best friend… as usual.

"She is in charge to look after their flower shop," he lied. "But she'll be here soon."

"The last time I asked you to get her, you said exactly the same thing," Tsunade noticed. "Are you sure you're not shitting me?"

_This is troublesome – this old hag is getting suspicious of me,_ Shikamaru thought.

His expression became anxious – though, he did a good job masking off his nervousness. "Of course not, what would I get lying on you anyway?"

"That's true," she analyzed. Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Sorry for doubting you for a minute, Nara."

"It's alright, no big deal."

"You're dismissed, Nara," the Hokage said.

"Tsunade-sama, can I ask you something?" Tsunade nodded as her response. Shikamaru was hesitant if he would ask her but in the end he ended up asking her. "Do you know anything significant happened 5 years ago?"

"Well, a lot of things happened 5 years ago," she cupped her hand on her chin and rubbed her chin back and forth as if she were thinking. "First, the Chuunin Exam. Second, the fight between Sandaime and Orochimaru, and the invasion of Suna because they were fooled by that bastard Orochimaru," Tsunade paused and thought harder. "Fourth, the funeral of the Sandaime. Fifth, the fight between the Sannins and me, becoming the Hokage."

_But those stuffs wouldn't affect Ino personally, I can bet with my life that she became like that because of something personal,_ he evaluated carefully.

"Anything more significant that happened?" he asked, he's becoming desperate to know what hurts Ino made her changed.

"Well, five years ago…" Tsunade thought again. "That Uchiha kid went to Orochimaru for power and you guys tried to retrieve him."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. Now, everything's becoming clear to him.

"So that's why! Thanks Tsunade-sama, I'm out." Shikamaru ran as fast as he could to find Ino.

Tsunade arched her eyebrow as she watched Shikamaru leaving. "What's with him?" It is weird for Nara Shikamaru to rush. "I've never seen rushing before; he normally takes everything so slow."

* * *

Shikamaru knocked – correction, banged – on Ino's door. Ino immediately opened the door a little upset of his banging.

"Ino…" Shikamaru holds her shoulder and looked at her in the eyes. "Do you not like waking up because of Sasuke?"

Her eyes widened. She was not expecting him to figure that soon. After all, she just told him and she didn't even give him hints. But then again, Nara Shikamaru is a very smart person – a genius who can figure out almost everything.

She barely gave him a reply. "H-How…?"

"Are you asking me how did I figure that out?" he lets go of her shoulder and focused his gaze on the ground because he could not stand seeing her hurt. "Or, you're asking me how I came up with that conclusion?"

He looked at her again, the hurt is still there. Asking her about _that guy_ is torture – seeing her suffering with that question is just unbearable for him. He cares – no, scratch that – he loves her more than a best friend, a teammate, or a sister… and he's kept that secret for years.

"How…?" she repeated the simple phrase again. "How could I still fall for him over and over again… even though I've never seen him for years…?" the tears continuously fall from her eyes freely. "Tell me how I could be in love with him when I just see him in my dreams… and not in reality?"

That statement hurts Nara Shikamaru.

"Stop," he said, regretting the fact that he opened this topic. "Please, stop crying."

He felt guilty that he made her cry by opening that topic.

"Didn't you want to know why I don't like waking up early anymore?" she inquired, the tears are still streaming on her face. "When your heart is broken because the person you love the most is never beside you… dream is the only thing that could satisfy you. I don't want to wake up because I want to dream of him… I want to dream that he's here and he's beside me. In dreams, I could be with him… but the time I wake up, I know for a fact that he can never and will never be with me."

_It's troublesome, but I'm jealous. Couldn't you dream of me instead? If you would, you would not cry anymore, I promise, because if I were the man you always dream about – you'd live in a dream where you don't have to sleep,_ Shikamaru thought.

He pulled her in a hug and whispered, "I told you to stop crying, didn't I?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Cześć, everybody! I'm back. It had been forever, I know. I'm so sorry for not updating, as you know I am very busy. I have to work my ass off at school because I'm aiming for something very high. What do you think of this? Yes, as you see I love ShikaIno but I love SasuIno more! _


End file.
